This invention relates to shoes, and particularly to shoes and ankle supports which are constructed to reduce the risk of ankle injuries. The invention is applicable primarily to athletic shoes, since many athletic activities raise a significant risk of ankle injury. This invention is applicable primarily to athletic shoes but can be used in all footwear where ankle support is required. In the past, there have been numerous proposals for supplemental ankle supports for shoes, but the present inventor considers such proposals to be less effective than the shoe and ankle support member of the present invention.
The risk of inversion, eversion, or hyperextension, and the resulting injury, can be reduced by restricting the motion of the joint. Known methods for attempting to reduce the aforementioned risk include taping the joint or positioning a support device about the ankle. Taping the ankle of an athlete is a time-consuming and relatively expensive procedure, which generally can not be performed by the athlete. Taping typically needs to be done by an athletic trainer or other person with specialized knowledge to properly and effectively tape the joint.
This invention uses a relatively new product, artificial spider web silk, for added strength and flexibility. While humans have relied on silk for more than 2,000 years, scientists have never been able to unravel the mystery of how spiders and silkworms produced their incredibly strong fibers—until now. Researchers discovered the mechanism for production of strong silk, providing critical new information about nature's strongest fiber. Spider silk is among the toughest materials known, but it is not entirely unique. It is merely one of the most dramatic examples of a sizable family of biopolymers that can teach us much about how to improve upon man-made products. In many cases the biopolymers possess a combination of properties that synthetic materials cannot yet approach. Basically, the idea is to copy, the extent possible, the way that mature manufacturers products. It's called biosynthesis. The original invention needed a strong, light weigh and flexible material to hold the strips together. Artificial spider web silk is the perfect material. The materials existing at the time of the first invention was Kevlar and nylon. The Kevlar is strong but not very flexible and the nylon is flexible but not very strong.